--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The convictions that leaders have formed…" description: "\"The convictions that leaders have formed before reaching high office are the intellectual capital they will consume as long as they continue in office...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/henry-a-kissinger-1068_conviction_the-convictions-that-leaders-have-formed_37759.jpg" --- # The convictions that leaders have formed before reaching… ![“The convictions that leaders have formed before reaching high office are the intellectual capital they will consume as long as they continue in office.” quote by Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/henry-a-kissinger-1068_conviction_the-convictions-that-leaders-have-formed_37759.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/henry-a-kissinger-1068_conviction_the-convictions-that-leaders-have-formed_37759.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/henry-a-kissinger-1068_conviction_the-convictions-that-leaders-have-formed_37759.jpg) > “The convictions that leaders have formed before reaching high office are the intellectual capital they will consume as long as they continue in office.” [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leaders' pre‑existing beliefs shape their decision‑making throughout their tenure, acting as a lasting mental resource. **In simple terms:** Pre‑formed convictions guide leaders. Key Takeaway Beliefs become enduring strategic assets. Themes Leadership Cognition Decision‑making Power Ideology Mood Reflective Serious Type Observation Philosophical When to use this quote - Political office - Corporate board - Military command Key Concepts Intellectual capital Bias Continuity Practical Applications - Strategic planning - Leadership development Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders refresh their intellectual capital? - When might entrenched convictions hinder progress? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Convictions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convictions/) [Convictions Leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convictions-leaders-446419/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [High Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-office-446421/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Intellectual capital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual-capital/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Office Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office-intellectual-446420/) [Reaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reaching/) ## Related quotes > [“the convictions that leaders have formed before reaching high office are the intellectual capital they will consume as long as they continue in office.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-kissinger/the-convictions-that-leaders-have-formed-before-reaching-high-office-2/) [Henry Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-kissinger/) > [High office teaches decision making, not substance. It consumes intellectual capital; it does not create it. Most high officials leave office with the perceptions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/high-office-teaches-decision-making-not-substance-it-consumes/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Most high officials leave office with the perceptions and insights with which they entered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/most-high-officials-leave-office-with-the-perceptions-and-insights/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [“It is difficult for men in high office to avoid the malady of self-delusion. They are always surrounded by worshipers. They are constantly, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/it-is-difficult-for-men-in-high-office-to-avoid-the-malady-of-self-3/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [In foreign policy, even if you hold high office, you can't be sure what the effects will be of the things you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-marie-slaughter/in-foreign-policy-even-if-you-hold-high-office-you-can-t-be-sure-what/) [Anne-Marie Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-marie-slaughter/) > [In today's US, it's possible for almost anyone - women, gays, African-Americans, Jews - to run for, and be elected to, high office.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/in-today-s-us-it-s-possible-for-almost-anyone-women-gays-african/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [It is difficult for men in high office to avoid the malady of self-delusion. They are always surrounded by worshipers. They are constantly, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/it-is-difficult-for-men-in-high-office-to-avoid-the-malady-of-self-2/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [The offhand decision of some commonplace mind high in office at a critical moment influences the course of events for a hundred years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-offhand-decision-of-some-commonplace-mind-high-in-office-at-a/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [With people in high office, the old - you go into the extreme, which is absolute power and absolute power corrupts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/with-people-in-high-office-the-old-you-go-into-the-extreme-which-is/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [I've heard it for years, if you're very successful you can't run for high office, especially for President.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-ve-heard-it-for-years-if-you-re-very-successful-you-can-t-run-for-2/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I've heard it for years, if you're very successful you can't run for high office, especially for President. I said, I don't care, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-ve-heard-it-for-years-if-you-re-very-successful-you-can-t-run-for/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [It is difficult for men in high office to avoid the malady of self-delusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/it-is-difficult-for-men-in-high-office-to-avoid-the-malady-of-self/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [Nixon is one of the few in the history of this country to run for high office talking out of both sides of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman-2/nixon-is-one-of-the-few-in-the-history-of-this-country-to-run-for/) [Harry S Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman-2/) > [High office, is like a pyramid; only two kinds of animals reach the summit — reptiles and eagles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/high-office-is-like-a-pyramid-only-two-kinds-of-animals-reach-the/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) > [I'm fond of observing how obsession is the most durable form of intellectual capital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-kosofsky-sedgwick/i-m-fond-of-observing-how-obsession-is-the-most-durable-form-of/) [Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-kosofsky-sedgwick/) ## More by Henry A. Kissinger > [90% of politicians give the other 10% a bad name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/90-of-politicians-give-the-other-10-a-bad-name/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [I believe it is a mistake to isolate arms control from other areas of policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/i-believe-it-is-a-mistake-to-isolate-arms-control-from-other-areas-of/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [ Before the Freedom of Information Act, I used to say at meetings "The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer." \[...\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/before-the-freedom-of-information-act-i-used-to-say-at-meetings-the/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Nothing is more urgent than a serious, dare I say compassionate, debate as to where we are going at home and abroad. Technicians cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/nothing-is-more-urgent-than-a-serious-dare-i-say-compassionate-debate/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Jews were segregated from 1933 on. We could only play against other Jewish teams. This wasn't just social segregation; this was the beginning of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/jews-were-segregated-from-1933-on-we-could-only-play-against-other/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [The Russian people, at least the ones I know, have pride in being a Russian. And, therefore, they want to be taken seriously in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/the-russian-people-at-least-the-ones-i-know-have-pride-in-being-a/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [There are only two reasons to sit in the back row of an airplane: Either you have diarrhea, or you're anxious to meet people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/there-are-only-two-reasons-to-sit-in-the-back-row-of-an-airplane/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [John Paul II was one of the greatest men of the last century. Perhaps the greatest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/john-paul-ii-was-one-of-the-greatest-men-of-the-last-century-perhaps/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Does anyone have any questions for my answers?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/does-anyone-have-any-questions-for-my-answers/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Taiwan will probably not declare independence. The question isn't independence. The issue is whether Taiwan will declare itself as a sovereign separate state. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/taiwan-will-probably-not-declare-independence-the-question-isn-t/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [China is a country with a record of continuous self-government going back 4,000 years, the only society that has achieved this. One must start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/china-is-a-country-with-a-record-of-continuous-self-government-going/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [With proper tactics, nuclear war need not be as destructive as it appears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/with-proper-tactics-nuclear-war-need-not-be-as-destructive-as-it/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [I think a resumption of the Cold War would be a historic tragedy. If a conflict is avoidable, on a basis reflecting morality and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/i-think-a-resumption-of-the-cold-war-would-be-a-historic-tragedy-if-a/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [University politics make me long for the simplicity of the Middle East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/university-politics-make-me-long-for-the-simplicity-of-the-middle-east/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [There is no realism without an element of idealism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/there-is-no-realism-without-an-element-of-idealism/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) [Explore all 298 Henry A. Kissinger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) ## More Conviction quotes > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/once-you-pull-the-trigger-you-ve-got-to-throw-balls-aggressively-and/) [Alex Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-smith/) > [I've been around in public life for a long time. I think people know what I stand for. They know that I have strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-turnbull/i-ve-been-around-in-public-life-for-a-long-time-i-think-people-know/) [Malcolm Turnbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-turnbull/) > [“Desert are you, deluge are you, in a crowd of fakes, only truth is you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/desert-are-you-deluge-are-you-in-a-crowd-of-fakes-only-truth-is-you/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [For a successful revolution it is not enough that there is discontent. What is required is a profound and thorough conviction of the justice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/for-a-successful-revolution-it-is-not-enough-that-there-is-discontent/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) > ['Peace on earth, good will toward men' - democracy must cling to that message. For it is my deep conviction that democracy cannot live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/peace-on-earth-good-will-toward-men-democracy-must-cling-to-that/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [ Beneath everything else, North and West, there ran a profound, unvoiced, almost subconscious conviction that the \[American\] nation was going to go on growing-in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-catton/beneath-everything-else-north-and-west-there-ran-a-profound-unvoiced/) [Bruce Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-catton/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [When you fight to give your family bread, that's not passion anymore: that's conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoel-romero/when-you-fight-to-give-your-family-bread-that-s-not-passion-anymore/) [Yoel Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoel-romero/) > [If you know the differences between an oak and a poplar, a spruce and a pine, down to the needles... you are able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-allen-lawson/if-you-know-the-differences-between-an-oak-and-a-poplar-a-spruce-and/) [T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/) > [We need the conviction to be able to think for ourselves and to take action outof our own sense of responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/we-need-the-conviction-to-be-able-to-think-for-ourselves-and-to-take/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [The law of England has established trial by judge and jury in the conviction that it is the mode best calculated to ascertain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/the-law-of-england-has-established-trial-by-judge-and-jury-in-the/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [If you are going to flip something, you must have the courage of your convictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/if-you-are-going-to-flip-something-you-must-have-the-courage-of-your/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [We embark unhesitatingly on the path, in a direction that is absolutely right and urgent, supported by everyone, in the knowledge that this path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yehudi-menuhin/we-embark-unhesitatingly-on-the-path-in-a-direction-that-is/) [Yehudi Menuhin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yehudi-menuhin/) [Browse all 2,157 Conviction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The convictions that leaders have formed before reaching high office are the intellectual capital they will consume as long as they continue in office.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry A. 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